Hey Jealousy
by spyder-m
Summary: Minato knew his wife was gorgeous. It therefore came as no surprise to him, that when Kushina's pregnancy began to show, the healthy glow exuding from the woman only served to heighten her allure. However, to Minato's chagrin, he noticed other men picking up on this new found vitality in Kushina and being hypnotically drawn to it, much like him. Minakushi. Pre-series.


Hey Jealousy

Minato wasn't normally a jealous man, he simply had no reason to be.

Everything he could have ever wanted in life, he had attained: the admiration and respect of his village, a reputable position acknowledging his strength and years of hard work, and most of all, the love of his best friend, the most beautiful woman he had ever seen.

He was more than happy and comfortable in his own life, having no reason to look at anyone else with jealously.

This fact, however, was being tested as of late. Along with his patience.

Minato knew his wife was gorgeous. In fact, he took great pride in being the first man in Konoha to recognise her unique beauty; a contrast to most of their peers, who had ridiculed and singled her out for it. It therefore came as no surprise to him, that when Kushina's pregnancy began to show, the healthy glow exuding from the woman only served to heighten her allure.

This hadn't been a problem Minato initially. At first, he had thought it had just been something that affected him; a side effect of being so helplessly in love with her and so excited by the knowledge that she was now carrying his child. Eventually, though, he began to notice the stares, the other men picking up on this new found life and vitality in Kushina and being hypnotically drawn to it, much like him.

They tried, to their credit, to be subtle. They tried to gaze from the corner of their eyes when they thought no one else was looking, not daring to imagine the horrific fate they would suffer if caught ogling the Hokage's wife. Unfortunately, though not surprisingly, the glances they snuck did not go unnoticed by Minato, one of the village's most powerful and observant ninja. Apparently, the frustration he felt was reflected in his expression, as most men fell turned pale, breaking into sweat when his eyes met theirs.

Minato did not think of Kushina as his. That thought alone was comical. She would probably splay him alive if he were to ever express it. She was her own person. Strong, independent and proud. It was one of the things that had attracted him to her initially. In that sense, he supposed, these men weren't really doing anything wrong. They weren't, as far as he knew, bothering her, or posing any real reason for him to feel uncomfortable. Even if they were, he was confident Kushina would reject their advances. He trusted her. They were just admiring her from a-far. He couldn't really blame them for that. That didn't mean, however, that he had to like it.

"You're awfully quiet today. Well, more so than usual." Kushina commented, as they walked through the village together hand-in-hand.

"Sorry," Minato answered, turning to her with a weak smile. "I was just thinking."

Kushina frowned out of the corner of Minato's eye, not completely convinced by his answer. Normally, despite her boisterous nature, Kushina didn't spending time with Minato in silence. His presence had a calming effect on her, a welcome change from their normally fast paced lives, and with his duties as Hokage, any moment they could have alone was welcome.

Today, however, she got the feeling that there was something bothering Minato, despite him saying otherwise. His body language did not radiate the usual cool, collected demeanour she was familiar with. The air around him was tense, and the silence uncomfortable. It didn't seem to be born from a natural break in conversation, but rather Minato deliberately holding his tongue, trying to steer the conversation away from whatever was bothering him.

"Are you okay? You seem like you're upset about something."

Minato's pace slowed to a stop abruptly, and Kushina rose an eyebrow. Her question had apparently managed to pierce his impassive exterior.

"You mean you haven't noticed?" Minato exclaimed incredulously. The outburst was unusual was for him, reflecting his apparent exasperation.

Kushina cocked her head at Minato, her features scrunching up in confusion. He sure was acting strange today. Her expression only served to frustrate Minato further, as, in his eyes, it made her look even more endearing.

"Noticed what exactly, Minato?" She asked, placing her hands on her hips, growing annoyed with the vague, cryptic manner in which he was speaking.

"The way men have been acting around you lately. Practically hanging off your every word and eating putty out of your hand." He scoffed. Kushina eyes widened, the soft-spoken, respectful, Minato Namikaze had just scoffed.

He must have been really annoyed.

"What can I say?" Kushina said. "It was only a matter of time before they fell for my Uzumaki charm. Better late than never in this case, I suppose."

"Besides," she added. "Now you know how I feel, having to compete with all of the Yondaime fan club."

"What are you talking about, Kushina?" Minato sighed, his fingers kneading at his temple in exasperation.

He gazed up a moment later, to notice Kushina smirking at him, doing her best to hold back laughter. She faltered, however, as his expression did not change, if only perhaps to register confusion.

"Oh, you can't be serious." She exclaimed, throwing her arms up in disbelief.

"What?"

"Minato, I love you. But for a man as revered for their intelligence as you are, you can be incredibly dense sometimes."

"What is it?" He repeated.

"You have fangirls," Kushina stated simply.

"I- what?!"

"You know," Kushina clarified. "Admirers, groupies, whatever you want to call them... Hordes of them. They ogle over you all the time."

"R- Really?" Minato said, a flush forming over his cheeks.

"Why should it matter to you anyway, 'ttebanne!" Kushina exclaimed, thumping him across the arm. "You've got me, haven't you?"

"O-of course. You're right, Kushina." Minato stumbled, rubbing at his numb, aching limb.

Kushina turned her back to him with a scowl, her arms folded. His answer had not been enough to quell her burst of anger. Scratching at the back of his head, Minato taken a moment to decipher what Kushina had just told him.

He apparently had admirers, much like the ones Kushina had gained over the past few week. **And for awhile, as far back as he head been named Hokage anyway.** If there were as many as Kushina had claimed, surely he would have noticed? How could he have missed something so obvious?

He had never really paid attention, he supposed. In his day to day duties he was in constant interaction with others, shinobi, civilians, both men and women alike. Small, insignificant details like that went over his head.

Whenever he was with Kushina, it was if everything else was reduced to mere background noise. That's not to say any of the women who flocked to him were unattractive, they just weren't _her_. Nothing could captivate his attention, his every sense and thought the way Kushina so effortlessly could. From the moment he'd first seen her, **Minato had been drawn to her.**

Their relationship was serendipitous. It had been formed almost as if by fate, with every piece falling perfectly into place. Had Kushina not been made the Jinchuuriki of the Kyuubi and subsequently taken to Konoha, they may have never met. Had she not possessed such a unique life force and chakra, she may have never been captured by Kumo ninja. He may have never been presented with the opportunity to save her, to prove his worth as a ninja and how much he admired her. Throughout their entire lives they had been constantly guided closer together by an invisible thread.

Minato glanced back over at Kushina guiltily. He could understand why she had reacted angrily. Minato, a normally calm, rational man, had been overcome by quietly building frustration and jealously. Kushina, with her hot-headed personality, had had to endure through such emotion throughout the entire time he'd been Hokage. It must have been difficult for her.

Approaching her slowly, Minato placed his hand tentatively on her shoulder, his fingers caressing her skin gently. Kushina closed her eyes with a breath, leaning back into his touch. The fragrant scent of her hair caught in his nose, as he drew her closer, his breath tracing over her neck in a feather light caress.

"You should know that there isn't a woman alive who could possibly take me away from you." He said softly.

"I know," she exhaled, moving into his embrace. "That doesn't mean I still don't want to pummel them every time they fawn over you, though."

"I understand," Minato chuckled. "Believe me, I do."


End file.
